Soddy-Daisy intersection improvement plans progress

Soddy-Daisy city officials say progress is being made on plans for the improvement of several of the city’s intersections.

City Manager Hardie Stulce said the city has received approval from the state to enter into the final design phase for a new traffic signal on Sequoyah Road, which has been in the works for more than a year.

A traffic study is being conducted to determine if the four-way stop at Springfield Road and Walden Circle is still necessary.

“Some residents wanted that taken out,” said Mayor Jim Adams of the four-way stop. “I’ve had requests over several years.”

Stulce said roughly 2,000 cars passed through the intersection over a week’s time going south on Springfield at an average speed of 31 mph. A northbound traffic count is being conducted next, he said.

A traffic study being handled by the city’s Public Works Department is also in progress at the intersection of Harrison Lane and Dayton Pike.

“Several people have commented Public Works doesn’t have anything to do,” said Stulce, adding that the officials who appear to be sitting around are actually counting cars.

He said this is the only way to determine how many cars are going straight and how many are turning left and right, as no automated device or hose put across the road has the capability to do so. The city could either pay an outside entity to conduct the study or use its own workers for the job, and decided on the latter to cut costs, said Stulce.